Camping novice - I need some help please!

[LatinForTelly]

Hi,

We're going camping this weekend and have had to borrow a tent as the one we've got is too small for all of us (long story).

So, DH and I put up our vango 300 tempest (?) with minimum bother earlier in the week (hopefully suggesting we are not completely tent-impractical).

We have borrowed a vango 350 beta from a friend and it has come without its original poles ie not with the easy colour coding!

So I've just had a go at putting up the outer by myself and run into trouble. Please can anyone help with the following problems?

One pole has lost its elasticy inside bit but I managed to keep it together and through all the slots - will this be ok, or is it bad for the tent/pole?

And the longest pole, once I'd got all 3 up, looked like it was overbent (too long). So I undid it, but the end joint of the pole has split. Obv, to return to friend, I will buy a replacement pole, but I don't have time before the weekend - can I still use it or is there a way I can patch it up?

Also, I assumed I had put the wrong pole size in, but I measured it, and it is the right size for the middle bit of the tent, so why did it look overbent, and then split ?

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help (oh and btw, I can't fuss and bother the friend for completely camping-unrelated reasons)

[Lifestooshorttosleep]

I think a pole without the elastic will be fine. As for the split one, must admit I've used duck tape before to patch one up when it got damaged in a mega storm while we were actually camping. A better solution is to lash it with some decent string, from quite far above and below the split. But it's not as flexible as it should be then. If the weather is calm though, I'd think you should be fine. Hope this helps!

[LatinForTelly]

Hi Lifestooshort, thanks for answering! That's great, I'll try the string or duck tape thing, and I've already found an online place to buy the replacement pole.

Any ideas why the pole was bulging out/overbending at the bottom (which I presume caused the split)? Did I just not have the material of the tent stretched round it evenly, I wonder?

Many thanks again.

[CampingClaire]

Oh...we have a 350 beta as our kids 'sleepover in the garden' tent. Buckling at the bottom is common!! The fabric will be a bit 'uneven' somewhere and that or the fact that maybe you're stretching the floorplan somewhere else will be your problem. We put it up with the door closed then peg it out from the back first and that normally stops the bulge!! Have fun!

[Ineedmorepatience]

You can buy elastic to fix the one that has none. I got some from decathlon but any camping shop will have it.

It is really easy to re-thread and not expensive.

Good luck

[LatinForTelly]

Thanks, folks, that's all really helpful.

Think we're going to need the luck!